Frequency of Earthquakes Worldwide

The following table lists the frequency of earthquakes worldwide, according to magnitude and annual average.

Descriptor

Magnitude

Annual average

Great

8 or higher

11

Major

7–7.9

172

Strong

6–6.9

1342

Moderate

5–5.9

1,3192

Light

4–4.9

c. 13,000

Minor

3–3.9

c. 130,000

Very minor

2–2.9

c. 1,300,000

1. Based on observations since 1900. 2.
Based on observations since 1990. NOTE: The NEIC estimates that several
million earthquakes occur in the world each year. Many go undetected
because they hit remote areas or have very small magnitudes.